Storage containers such as standard 55 gallon drums and the like are the usual types for storing and transporting products such as dry goods and liquids. Often for example, citrus products need to be transported by sea between locations using standard cylindrical metal drums or standard plastic conical drums.
The cylindrical metal drums have the disadvantage that the cylindrical shapes of these prior art metal drums do not allow for the easy stacking of the drums when the contents have been emptied, since the cylindrical drums cannot fit inside of one another. This lack of stacking aspect does not allow empty cylindrical drums to be returned at reasonable costs. Many empty cylindrical drums have to be destroyed and recycled at their initial shipping destination before being returned, thus increasing cost and expense.
A problem with prior art plastic conical drums occurs during transport. For example, when storing plastic conical drums together, the conical shape creates dead air spaces between adjacent drums at their bottom ends. This dead airspace allows the drums to shift and eventually collapse when a ship transporting the drums is rolling at sea. During a sea transport these drums have been known to tip over and collapse on board ships going through 30 degree or more lists. In these situations substantial damage has occurred to the drums and their contents. Furthermore, these situations are also hazardous as well as to the vessels and the crew.
Past solutions to obviate the problems of shipping conical drums have relied on using pallets with additional security strap attachments. However, shipments on pallets increases the volume (stowage factor) as well as the gross shipping weight. These increases along with the additional costs of the pallet(approximately $21 per wooden pallet used to transport four drums) and the strap attachments as well as the needed labor result in much higher and undesirable additional costs of transport.
Thus, there is a need for a drum storage container that does not have the problems associated with the prior art storage containers referred above.